modesty

Feeling Feminine

I have to be honest. I love to feel feminine. Feeling feminine is one of the main reasons that I wear dresses or skirts 95% of the time. It’s the reason I have a strand of pearls and wear earrings on a daily basis.

Recently I received a wooden watch to review in the mail from Tempus Wood Watches to add to my list of things that make me feel feminine. I love the design and over all feel of the watch. It’s definitely a watch that accentuates femininity. So many watches these days that women wear just look like men’s watches. I wanted to stay away from those.

A wooden watch has been on my wishlist for quite some time but the price tag was a bit more than I could handle. Enter Tempus Wood Watches. This company makes affordable and gorgeous watches that are also wooden.

Wooden watches are both pretty and practical which is what I’m looking for in a watch. Something that’s going to leave me feeling feminine instead of self conscious about the huge thing on my wrist.

The watch I received as part of this review is the Tempus Callista Women’s Bamboo Watch. It retails for $79.99 in the United States. I chose this watch as I loved the rose gold coloring and the leather band. The other two watches highlighted in the women’s collection are the all wooden Tempus Elinor and the Tempus Willoughby. The Elinor has gorgeous wooden links as a band while the Willoughby has a fabric band which reminds me of a watch you’d wear while playing sports or being very active.

It’s gorgeous! I love that it has a leather band instead of plastic. Most watches that I’ve been seeing lately have a plastic band. In fact, I have one. I really don’t appreciate it as it’s extra hot and does not breathe. The leather band breathes and is also a great place to put a drop of essential oils for diffusing.

I love that the watch face is large enough to easily read. It’s also a gorgeous color with a rose gold frame. I’m not a fan of typical yellow gold as it’s not a good color for me. White gold and rose gold are much better for my skin tone but they’re harder to find.

I love that this watch can be dressed up or down. If I’m feeling a need to look my best I can put on a “going out” dress or skirt and it still looks completely natural. Same with just wearing a denim skirt and blouse. This gorgeous watch goes with everything! I’m so pleased with it and can’t wait to purchase a second one just so I have a variety of colors in my life. They say you can’t have too many shoes but what about eco-friendly wooden watches? I’m thinking you can’t have too many of those. What do you think??

Because Tempus Wood Watches is a fairly new company they don’t have a huge selection yet. But the watches they do have are gorgeous and well made. I highly recommend them. Feel free to check out their social media accounts as well. You can find them on facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, and youtube.

My fashion tends to stay the same. The fashion for today focuses on maternity though. Since I’m pregnant my fashion has to have a few tweaks so that I can remain modest and yet comfortable through the months of pregnancy.

Fashion for today for me is different than it is for many people. I like to wear skirts and dresses. I never realized how hard it was to find skirts and dresses that were modest and yet also maternity until recently. When you do find them, they’re normally pretty expensive.

I recently decided to give stitch fix a go. They now offer maternity boxes which is just what I needed! I got my first box the other day. I had left notes for the stylist to tell them about my style but I’d forgotten to say what colors I enjoy and what colors definitely don’t look good on me as well as styles, etc.

For those who might not know, Stitch Fix hand chooses via a stylist five pieces for you and your wardrobe and they mail them to you. You get a few days to look them over and then send back what you don’t like. If you like it, you keep it. There is a $20 styling fee but that is taken off the price of any of the articles you choose.

My box contained an infinity scarf in a lumberjack type shirt flannel print. I’m not a huge scarf wearer and definitely did not keep this one. Red and black lumberjack print is not my thing. I have red hair. Just did not go together well.

Next I pulled out a pretty blue dress. It was a gorgeous color but had ruching on the side that did not line up with where my natural waist is and just didn’t look very nice on me. It was lined and a nice knee length so it could have been worn with or without leggings. A nice dress was on my list of things that I wanted but sadly I had to send it back.

The next piece I didn’t even try on. It was a cardigan. I love cardigans! This one was an open drape front which is fine with me but it was tiny black and white checks. For some reason this style of print just did not appeal to me so back in the box it went.

Fourth item I pulled out was a blue and pink print loose type maternity top with a pocket. It was a bit see through and the pink was a coral that made me looked washed out.

At this point I was beginning to despair a bit. And then I pulled out my keeper item. A nice black t shirt with ruching on the side. It can be longer or shorter depending on the ruching and I was in love. It easily dresses up a skirt for church or works with a denim skirt for everyday! Also a cardigan looks super cute over it.

I do apologize that I’m having to take the photos inside and with my phone in a mirror, but it’s cold outside. And I don’t have anyone else handy to take photos unless you want just the belly which is what my kids focus on!

So all in all my first stitch fix and my fashion for today brought me a new top to style several ways. I learned that I needed to add more information to my stitch fix profile and notes and can’t wait to try again.

Some of their items are pricey while others are reasonable. Others might find all their prices reasonable, but as a frugal mom of 9 soon to be 10 I would have a hard time spending almost $100 on a dress. I mentioned this in my review as well. They have you review all the items in your box and give them feedback so they can better style you next time. I think this is going to be a great service for me and am looking forward to hopefully getting a few new spring pieces next month.

Did I mention that you get a prepaid envelope to send the pieces you don’t like back in? That really sealed it for me. I can just toss that in my mail box and I don’t have to go to the post office with all the kids. It’s easy! I really don’t like clothes shopping either so if I can get the stylist to understand what I do and don’t like then this is going to be awesome I do believe! Have you tried stitch fix before? What was your experience like?

So my fashion for today remains the same. Maxi type skirts or denim skirts that are maternity with t shirt type tops and cardigans. I’m hoping to branch that out and change it up a bit but for now it looks to be staying the same.

Let me mention that both the skirts I’m wearing in these photos are from Deborah and Co. They’re both awesome maternity skirts as well and so so so comfy. If you’ve never tried their clothing line you should check it out!

Wonder how hard it is to stay covered and modest without falling over in a dead faint from the heat?

It’s not as hard as you’d think. I know you’re thinking I’m fibbing to you, but I’m not! In fact, what would you think if I told you I still tend to wear long ankle length skirts in the summer? You might think my many years of being a Civil War re-enactor and wearing layers upon layers of fabric may have scrambled my brain, or you might keep reading and see what I’m talking about! And in truth my brain might be a big scrambled, but I can honestly say that I have NEVER suffered heat stroke or passed out from heat. Now low blood sugar is a totally different thing. . .

Anyway.

I had a special friend snap some pictures of me in one of my favorite summer skirts. It is long and flowy and denim. To me, it’s not much different than wearing a pair of jeans on a warm day.

Showing off our casual everyday at home with my monkeys look!

I chose this skirt to feature this time because there is so much you can do with it! I can wear it around the house. I can wear it out to play with my kids. We can go for hikes in this skirt. And then I can take it the next day and wear it out on a date or simply out grocery shopping. The above look is my normal look. Some makeup, but not a lot, casual hair style that is functional and secure. Comfy shoes or no shoes at all if I’m in the house(I’m a barefoot lover). I layer my shirts even in the summer. I’ve been a breastfeeding mom long enough that I love having an extra layer between me and leaks and it makes me feel more comfortable that no one can simply see through my shirts.

Here is a cute way to dress up the outfit for running errands with the kids.

Now a cute outfit above for running errands. Yeap same tshirt, same undershirt, but adding a bit of lace in the from of a loose flowing vest. This gives you a bit more femininity and a bit of extra layering. This is oh so the style these days it seems and who doesn’t want to feel just a bit more in style? Awesome addition and hides those stains and fingerprints you might have already acquired from working around the house with the kids. Oh wait, am I the only only one who gets those?

And here is a cute little date night outfit!

I have to admit the above is probably my favorite of the pictures. I feel gorgeous! I love the date night look. Of course, I don’t remember the last time we went on a date, but that doesn’t mean I can’t prepare for one! And those shoes. . . swooning here. Yes I’m a barefoot lover, but I’m also a vintage heels lover.

These are my favorite shoes!

Oh yes, I did have to have a close up of my shoes. I love them! Seriously. And yes the ribbon ties matches the blouse perfectly. These are Chelsea Crew shoes. They are European sizes so make sure to measure and remeasure before purchasing. I wear a size 5.5 US and these are a 37UK and fit wonderfully. I got them off Zulily. And drumroll! Zulily is having a sale on Chelsea Crew shoes starting today! Make sure to hop over and check them out if you love these. To me this brand has a great vintage flair. You will find several that are 1940’s reminiscent. I’m a fan of the ’40s myself and that’s probably why I really love these shoes.

So we’ve talked a bit about the one skirt. I also have some nice jersey knit skirts that I tend to wear in summer, but those are only on days I know I won’t leave the house because I refuse to wear them in public. I’m just not a fan of how they make me look and I think they are a bit too clingy. It’s like wearing yoga pants in public, not something I think is appropriate. Afraid I’m not sharing a picture of me in that. Shows off my mommy tummy to perfection and all those extra pounds I can still stand to lose!

You might ask about what little girls should wear. Well mine do denim or cotton skirts. I also am a huge fan of jumpers. Stick a plain colored t-shirt under a jumper and they’re nice and cool but still able to play and move around. We do NOT do shorts in our house at all. Not for girls and not for boys. They are not practical on a farm.

I’ve shown you my favorite skirt, my favorite shoes, and now lets talk my favorite summer hairstyle. Trust me when I say this is the way my hair is 99.9% of the time in the summer. I use a Lilla Rose flexi clip to secure it up in a twist. It’s simple. It’s fast. It’s secure. And it looks pretty too!

My favorite up twist

This is the simplest style ever. You gather your hair into a ponytail with your hands, twist it around, twist it up and around on itself and secure with a flexi. Depending on the length and thickness of your hair, you may need a different size than me. This one is a large. I used to have to use a mega before I cut off over 2 feet of hair to donate. I’m loving my shorter locks. This design is one of my favorites. Nice an feminine but no danglies to get caught up in my hair. It’s called Tree of Life and I love the class that the pearls lend it.

This is my workout outfit, a jersey knit skirt with my layered tanktop and t-shirt. I don’t have any workout pants but this skirt still lets me run. And considering I love to run and easily can run 6 miles when I’m running, I think it’s an okay workout outfit!

When I’m not in my workout skirt or my long denim skirt, I do have a few cotton or shorter skirts as well. But all of my skirts are knee length or below. I don’t want to have to worry about bending over or kneeling and showing off more than I want to. Life has a way of making us move and bend and I want to be able to do so uninhibited. One of my favorite shorter skirts for summer is a cute little knee length denim number. My second favorite long skirt(the pictured denim is my favorite) is a long flowy cotton skirt. It’s a khaki and green coloring and matches several of my solid colored t-shirts.

Right now in this stage of my life, comfort is a key factor. I have 9 kids so I want to be comfortable and able to move freely. I don’t want the fear of my skirt blowing up or my top getting pulled down to expose things running my life so I try to make sure that those things aren’t going to happen instead of worrying about every move I make.

Let’s talk makeup for a quick bit as well. For summer I wear a BB Cream from Southern Magnolia Minerals in fair. It’s light and you don’t need a lot. If I’m going out I add a bit of a mineral powder over the top in matte to help soak up any excess oils. I also wear their brand of brown mascara which was just reformulated and is marvelous! My eye shadow and eye liner are from Physicians Formula’s organic line up. My lip shimmer is a new product that I recently reviewed from Beeyoutiful. I have the shade of Kiss of Cupid which is a great natural shade that is barely there. It’s close to my normal color but still gives me the feeling that I’ve dressed it up. That in turn gives me a confidence boost! Make sure to check out my Review for more!

I have joined these awesome bloggers for part two of our a year in skirts with seasonal skirt wearing. Below find my fellow bloggers and make sure to visit them on the linky as well! The linky is below our list of participants!

About

Welcome to my blog. I'm a stay at home mom of 10. I'm also a home-school mom who enjoys teaching her children and watching them learn. I love to cook and bake for my family. We are a gluten free/lactose free/soy free family so sometimes cooking can be a challenge.

Deborah and Co.

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